There are a number of proposals to put the cash-strapped Postal Service on firmer financial ground. But Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) says many of them would reduce the service levels the public has come to expect and further drive away business. He joined In Depth with Francis to discuss why he thinks maintaining service levels is the best framework for fixing the Postal Service's finances.

The Postal Service's revamped five-year business plan, which is aimed at putting the troubled agency on firmer financial ground, is made up of a number of elements. But Joe Corbett, the USPS chief financial officer, said that all of the changes the agency recommends need to be taken up in order to restore the Postal Service to financial stability.

The U.S. Postal Service recommends cutting its network of mail-processing centers in half, capping a five-month review of its facilities as part of a plan to restore it to financial stability. Of 264 facilities examined, 223 will be consolidated or closed. USPS officials projects the closures will affect 30,000 full-time employees.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on federal financial management, told In Depth with Francis Rose the comparison between the Postal Service and Detroit auto-makers may seem "unlikely." But the plan that turned around the bailed-out auto industry could prevent having to bail out the Postal Service in the first place.

The Postal Service said large losses would continue until the agency can trim its workforce, close some facilities, and restructure its healthcare program. The Postal Service posted a total loss of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2011.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, anticipates strong opposition to President Obama's promised 0.5 percent pay increase for federal employees.

Verizon will design and manage a private Internet protocol network for the Postal Service under a new six-year agreement. The New York-based telecom has provided IT services for the agency for two decades.

The Postal Regulatory Commission has criticized the Postal Service's proposal to consider closing more than 3,600 post offices as part of its plan to avoid a projected $14 billion loss this year. The plan is causing anxiety in communities that depend on their post offices and it would not save that much money, PRC Chairman Ruth Goldway told Federal News Radio. The commission will be watching the agency's cash flow closely in the coming months.